Let's Talk About Race (and Other Hard Things) - by Nancy A Dome

Book Synopsis

Fear. Avoidance. Division. The safest path can feel like the one without dialogue regarding conversations about equity and diversity. What if you offend the other person? What if they challenge your beliefs? What if you ruin a relationship?

When it comes to hard topics, effective communication skills are an asset, vulnerability is necessary, and forgiveness is vital. In Let's Talk About Race (And Other Hard Things), communication expert and equity consultant Dr. Nancy A. Dome provides you with a framework to recognize feelings, interrupt flawed patterns, and repair relationships. Utilized in business, education, and communities throughout the country, Dr. Dome's process makes space for vulnerability and helps participants engage in empathetic dialogue. Conflict is normal and survivable, and you don't need special skills or experience to navigate it-you just need practice. Complete with extensive qualitative research and case studies, this step-by-step guide shows how to lean into difficult conversations, recognize the role emotions play when we are not in control of them, and create a solid foundation for change, progress, healing, and resolution.

Review Quotes

"Dr. Dome continues leading the way by guiding us to engage in more productive conversations on difficult topics. During a time in our history when people are anonymously attacking one another or using social media to encourage divisiveness, Dr. Dome provides an alternative. Compassionate Dialogue(TM) is how we will heal our communities, one conversation at a time. This book provides practical examples on how to effectively internalize the RIR Protocol (Recognize It, Interrupt It, Repair It). I have used the RIR Protocol to lead my school system, improving the way we interact with one another. This book helps us take a deeper dive so that we can engage from a place of empathy. Empathy means feeling what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes, which is the level of understanding we're looking for."

Dr. Julie Vitale, Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District

"Having leaders in the world like Dr. Nancy Dome is a gift to all of us. Her expertise, proven framework, and compassionate heart offer individuals and organizations the opportunity to build bridges, strengthen relationships, and set clear boundaries. As a Black woman in the diversity and inclusion space, she offers a coveted perspective and uniquely broadens the discussion. Having difficult but necessary conversations, especially at this juncture in history, is imperative to our collective growth, and Dr. Nancy Dome shows us the way.

Through her Compassionate Dialogue(TM) framework, Nancy has essentially created a roadmap that helps you speak your truth effectively and without being dismissed or ignored. She has written a handbook that, if followed, will support you feeling empowered while speaking truth to power. If you are ready, Let's Talk About Race (and Other Hard Things) is your guide to having necessary conversations about deeply sensitive topics."

Rich Litvin, Founder of 4PC, RichLitvin.com and Monique DeBose, mother to Kaleo Rex and Ellington Madiba, playwright, Mulatto Math: Summing Up the Race Equation in America, and award-winning singer/songwriter with a masters in spiritual psychology

"Many things about this book delight and inspire me. It is simple, clear, and generous in what it offers, making it highly practical as well as motivating. We all suffer from our collective inability (and disinterest) in taking time for genuine conversations. Using the practical wisdom offered here, may we all commit to engaging with one another. Thank you, Nancy!"

Margaret Wheatley, author of ten books, including Leadership and the New Science and Turning To One Another